The grieving family then performed the 13-year-old’s last rites and buried the body on their own registered land. A Christian family was allegedly not allowed to bury a dead 13-year-old boy at the burial ground on Saturday amid prevailing tensions over a demand for the relocation of a church-cum-prayer hall at Kapena, a tribal-majority village in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district. Kapena native Krutibas Santa, who is from the Christian community, lost his son following a prolonged illness early on Saturday morning. However, other residents of the village later blocked access to the burial ground and prevented the family from performing the last rites there. Krutibas had to sign a declaration that no religious symbol would be placed on the gravestone and that peace and order would be maintained in the village.

Source: Indian Express February 16, 2026 03:42 UTC